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Who are your favorite romance authors??

annis
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Post by annis » Wed August 27th, 2008, 6:18 am

Penelope Williamson's "Keeper of the Dream" is an old favorite, also Amanda Quick's historical romances, like "Scandal" and "Mystique"; sexy and fun. Unfortunately over the years her novels have become fairly perfunctory, with little character development and no sign of her earlier sparkling repartee.

In recent times I've been quite taken with Helen Kirkman's novels set in Dark Age England- good stuff!

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CarolASpradling
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Question

Post by CarolASpradling » Wed August 27th, 2008, 10:23 am

It is great to see such a varied list. I'm curious. What is it about these authors that make them a favorite?

Carol

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diamondlil
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Post by diamondlil » Wed August 27th, 2008, 10:47 am

For me it the ability to be drawn into the story, but it is also a lot about the consistently good quality of the writing from book to book!

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Wed August 27th, 2008, 11:08 am

[quote=""Leyland""]One of my favorite romance authors who has been published since the 60's is Jane Aiken Hodge. My top picks are The Winding Stair, Watch the Wall My Darling, Greek Wedding, The Adventurers, Wide is the Water, Marry in Haste, and Escapade.

[/quote]

Leyland, Jane Aiken Hodge was one of the first 'adult' historical authors I bought and Watch the Wall My Darling was the first book. I still have it somewhere among my keepers in the loft I think. I actually prefer her to Georgette Heyer -she's much less twittery to my reader's ear.

Misfit - sorry about messing up your TBR - Not! :p :p :p :D
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Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

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Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

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Leyland
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Post by Leyland » Wed August 27th, 2008, 11:54 am

[quote=""EC2""]Leyland, Jane Aiken Hodge was one of the first 'adult' historical authors I bought and Watch the Wall My Darling was the first book. I still have it somewhere among my keepers in the loft I think.[/quote]

There are a handful of 70's paperbacks that are forever keepers (the kind you'd race back into your burning house to rescue) and Watch the Wall is definitely one for me! My Mary Stewart collection would be worth risking fire for as well. I love the hero in Watch the Wall the way I love Red Adam and also Nick Sabine in Brent's Moonraker's Bride. I just love all those 70's romantic suspense novels.

On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt is another. OK, I'll stop now!
We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams ~ Arthur O'Shaughnessy, Ode

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Wed August 27th, 2008, 1:42 pm

[quote=""diamondlil""]For me it the ability to be drawn into the story, but it is also a lot about the consistently good quality of the writing from book to book![/quote]


Ditto. I do like to luxuriate in a romance but if the writing and story stinks it's just not worth it.

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LCW
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Post by LCW » Wed August 27th, 2008, 3:46 pm

[quote=""annis""]Penelope Williamson's "Keeper of the Dream" is an old favorite [/quote]

I thought it was a good book but I couldn't stand the hero. He was just too mean. The rest of it was great, esp. his magical (??) squire. He needs his own book!!
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. --Arnold Lobel

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Wed August 27th, 2008, 3:55 pm

[quote=""1lila1""]I thought it was a good book but I couldn't stand the hero. He was just too mean. The rest of it was great, esp. his magical (??) squire. He needs his own book!![/quote]


I agree, the squire was the character who really elevated the book for me. It got an extra star just for him.

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LCW
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Post by LCW » Wed August 27th, 2008, 4:03 pm

I agree. And the epilogue with the squire in the future was my favorite part of the whole book!
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. --Arnold Lobel

annis
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Post by annis » Wed August 27th, 2008, 6:13 pm

I really enjoyed Penelope Williamson's Old West novel "The Outsider" too - the unlikely romance between a gunslinger and a woman of the Plain religion. It did work, though, and there were a lot of well drawn secondary characters like the people in the Plain community, and also the conflict between the sheep farmers and the cattle ranchers added interest and tension. I've never found a copy of her "Heart of the West", but I know a lot of people loved that one as well.

I guess that the hero of "Keeper of the Dream" was a hard man because he'd had such a hard and lonely childhood, and we did see him grow in emotional warmth as the story went on.

I'd sort of forgotten about Cathy Cash Spellman until EC mentioned her, but yes, "Paint the Wind" was very good, and I also remember a family saga she wrote which started and ended in Ireland, but was set largely in America. The period was late C19th and early C20th -"So Many Partings" was the title.

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